


The Inevitability of Sacrifice

by LittleSpacePrince



Series: Tale Teller's Daily Writing Challenge [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotions, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Science Bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 17:52:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13552548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleSpacePrince/pseuds/LittleSpacePrince
Summary: Prompt:"Have you tried getting good?"In which there is an attempted delay of the inevitable.





	The Inevitability of Sacrifice

It was taking quite a lot to contain the Hulk at this point, after having been flung against the wall for the fifteenth time that morning. He was not as spry and young as he had once been, hardly able to bounce back as quickly, bones aching and flesh bruised. He let out a groan as he rose to his feet again, at Tony’s instruction. If not for Tony, he would’ve stayed down. If not for Tony, he wouldn’t have been in this predicament to begin with. But here he was, trying to figure out how to control his own Iron Man suit, and failing miserably. 

“Give it up, Tony, this isn’t working. I’m gonna end up Hulking out in your suit and destroying millions of dollars worth of tech.” Bruce grumbled, tugging off the helmet and tossing it onto the table. Even clad only in the iron gloves and helmet, Bruce was already feeling claustrophobic, and frustrated; two things that did not generally mix well for him. The Hulk was more easily provoked these days, now that he had more of a mind of his own. It was harder to control, harder to keep him in check, and these little lessons in flying and shooting and self-defense weren’t exactly helping. “This is your thing. I’m just no good at this.” 

“I’ve got an idea. Have you tried… getting good at this?” Tony replied, that ever-present snark ringing in his voice. 

Bruce rolled his eyes. “Piss off.” 

It had been Tony’s idea. It had taken months for Bruce to reemerge, and without control over the other guy, Tony was trying his damned hardest to keep him from Hulking out again. He had chosen the doctor over the beast, over and over again, even when it was inconvenient. But in the business that they were in, trouble tended to come looking for them. So Tony had insisted on finding a way for Bruce to protect himself without the help of his big, green defender. But this hardly seemed to be working. 

“We can’t keep him in forever. I can feel it, Tony, he’s getting agitated. The longer I’m out, the angrier he gets. Eventually, something’s gonna happen, and I won’t be able to control him.” Bruce sighed, stripping himself of the rest of the suit, until he was exposed, raw, vulnerable. He pulled himself up onto the table, letting his legs swing over the side as he folded his hands into his lap, not daring to look up at him. “We can’t delay it forever.” 

Tony let out a sigh, hoisting himself up next to the doctor. He didn’t know when he’d fallen in love with the man that sat next to him, couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment that he knew. But he knew for damn certain in his absence. After Sokovia, sleepless night after sleepless night had been spent in the lab, and there was a silence that echoed there, always so fucking unsettling. Nothing but the clanking of metal on metal, or the sound of his own breathing. There was no JARVIS, and there was no Bruce. But somehow, it was Bruce that he found himself missing more. 

When he finally came back to him, it was the Hulk who returned. Smarter, though not quite that bright, more human than beast. But he was nowhere close to Bruce. He looked like Bruce, if a bit more green. He sounded like Bruce, if a bit deeper, a bit less coherent. There were moments when he smiled that Tony almost forgot. But the Hulk was not, and never would be, Bruce Banner. And every glance reminded him of what he had lost. 

The day that Bruce returned to him had been a miracle. And every day since, the eternal skeptic thanked whatever gods were above him for the man that stood by him. And from the day that Bruce had reemerged from the beast, Tony had vowed to never let him go back in, to hold on with all that was in him and never let him go. And if it meant fighting the Hulk or the devil or god himself, he would fight like hell for Bruce Banner.

“I’m not letting him take you from me again.” Tony muttered.

“You need him. Sometimes, the whole world needs him. Not another scientist, not another man in a metal suit.” Bruce murmured, speaking it like a death sentence. “The world needs someone who can protect it. The world needs the Hulk.”

“And I need Bruce Banner.” 

Bruce hung his head as he scooted closer to Tony. Tony had been his solace, his friend, the last great love of his life. He knew all that Tony had sacrificed for him, how badly all of this hurt him. But there were bigger things than the two of them; things that required sacrifice, things that demanded pain and bloodshed. They couldn’t stay huddled away in this lab together as the world burned around them, and god knew that there would always be something to come along and try to light the match. They had to be the heroes, and Bruce knew that he was no hero on his own. Bruce may have been what Tony wanted, but the Hulk was what the rest of the world needed. 

Bruce reached over, lacing his fingers through Tony’s. Like two halves of a whole, pieces of a puzzle. Funny, how the spaces between his fingers were right where Tony’s fit perfectly. Maybe this was why Tony needed him. Couldn’t quite hold hands with the Hulk. Couldn’t quite bring him here to spend hours on pointless experiments, couldn’t make stupid jokes, or laugh until there were tears in their eyes. Couldn’t quite cuddle with the Hulk, or make love to the Hulk (not that there was much of that happening, with the risks that came along with getting too excited.) But there would always be sacrifices to be made, and the day would come when those sacrifices would be demanded. 

Until that day came, he supposed that he could try. Try to delay the inevitable, try to entertain Tony’s fantasies of keeping the Hulk in check until they both were dead, until they had lived some happily ever after together. He supposed, that if it was what it took to keep Tony smiling, he could play along for awhile.

“Come on.” Bruce sighed in resignation as he rose to his feet again, back still sore and limbs still weak. “Let’s go get good at this.”


End file.
